Meter-hanger.



P. MUELLER & A. e. SCHU'BRMANN.

METER HANGER.

PVILIOATION FILED NOV. 21, 1910. 4

` Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

v2 SHEETS-SHEET 11.

` Phi/Widder www 1 j dnb/z (.Jcurmamzf @QM i @Mw a P. MUBLLER &'A. C.SCHUERMANN.

METER HANGER.

APPLIUATION rILEn Nov. 21, 1910.

Patented 061.17, 1911.

` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

PHILIP MUELLER AND ANTON C. SCHUERMANN, OF- DECA'IUR, ILLINOIS,ASSIIG-NOBSN- T0 H. MUELLER MANUFACTURING TION OF ILLINOIS. A

COMPANY, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- METER-HANGER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led November 21, 1910. Serial No. 593,591.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PHILIP MUELLER and ANTON C. SCHUERMANN, citizens ofthe devices of this character which are adaptedv to receive the meterand supportit centrally in the manner of a hanger.

The present invention relates more particularly to the member Withinwhlch the meter is to be received, the structures shown herein beingofthe type disclosed in our companion applicationsled July 22, 1910,Serial Nos. 573,324 and 573,325, said companion applications havingreference more particularly to the manner 1n which these members aresupported from the servlce and street pipes.

The principal object of this invention-1s to provide a supported memberin the form of a bail, loop, stirrup or similar configuration, which hasits direction of length formed in such manner as to extend around thesides and bot-tom of a meter and be attached to supporting means abovethe top of the meter, the device being in the form of a single strip orof a plurality of strips adjustably connected together, as desired, orthe construction may be varied to include a pivoted member or memberscarried by the bottom supporting portion of the stirrup, the pivotalmember or members being adapted to extend on opposite sides of thedirection of length of the stirrup bottom portion to provide an extendedsupport for the meter, agnd said support may be so formed as tol placethe stirrup a predetermined distanbe from the walland may, if

desired, be in a form to also retain the meter against a movement intocontact with the wall.

A further object is to provide a structure which is exceedingly simpleand efticientin operation, durable in construction, readily` placed inposition, of a weight which will place no undue strain on the supportingpipe, and which can be manufactured at a relative low Icost.

To these, Yand other ends, the nature of which will be readilyunderstood as ourinvention is hereinafter disclosed, theinv'entionconsists in the improved combination and construction of parts,hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which similar reference charactersl indicate similarparts in each of the views-Figure l is a front elevation of one form ofthe hanger, a meter and its connections being shown as supported thereinin dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a hanger,` modified toprovide the additional pivotal support for the meter. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of a still further modification, the hanger being shown asprovided with'the extended meter -support formed to space the meter fromthe adjacent wall, the meter and its connections being shown in dottedlines. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5is an elevation partly in section of a stirrup formed to permitadjustment in width to accommodate for variation in size of meters. Fig.6 is a similar view of a slightlyrmoditied form. Figs. 7 and 8 arecross-sectional views taken through the connector of the stirrupto showvarious ways in Whichthe Wires may be mounted.

The hanger member herein disclosed, is preferably formed of stout wire,and is in the form of a stirrup, loop, bail, or similar type, and whichextends around from one side of the meter across the bottom and up theother side, so as to provide a structure within which the meter may beseated, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3,"thefree ends of the hangerbeing bent inwardlyl and screw-threaded for attachment to a suitablesupport carried by the meter connections.

In the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the hanger member is in the formof a single piece of material so far as the stirrup portion isconcerned.

`In the structure shown in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, the stirrup is formedof two parts, adjustably connected together to permit of variations inthe Widths of meters.

The simplest form of stirrup is indicated in Fig.,1, in which thestirrup is designated as 20, the sides thereof as 21, the bottom as 22,and the inwardly extending end portions y Patented oct. 17, 1911.

i l. as 23. We prefer to screw-threadthe free ends, as at V24, toreceive suitable nuts 2 5, but it is -to .be understood that, 1fdesired,

' the form of connecting the free ends to the 4support may be variedwithout departing from the spirit .of the invention, any well knowiiconguration which w1ll -serve to permit the ree ends to be removably oraround which is` bent a pivotal member 30 of wire, said member beingprovided with an intermediate coil of one or more convolutions, as at31,the free ends of the member extending in opposite directions andpreferably on approximately the plane of the plane of the bottom portion22. This places the top plane of the bottom 22 and member 30 onpractically coincident planes so that ameter within the stirrup willrest on the bottom and on the two fr'ee ends or arms of the member 30,providing the equivalent of an extended base for the meter withoutactually rigidly connecting the parts t0- gether. We preferably form themember 3() with one arm of greater length than the other, the arm ofgreater length being adapted to project beyond the meter tocontact withthe walls of the room where the meter is installed.

As a further embodiment and the carrying forward of the invention, 'wemay form the pivotal member as in Figs. 3 and 4, in which this member isindicated at 40 and formed of two spaced apart arms 41 vcoiled aboutthe/bottom 22 as in Fig. 2,I and havingthe arms of greater lengthconnected together, the vconnection being formed by bending the .singlewire rearwardly and downwardly from opposite sides of the ap.- proximatecenter of the piece of wire, and

,then continuing these ends forwardly in the form shown. in Fig. 2, theintermediate ortion, indicated at 42, being, if deslred,

ent toI approximately conform to the shape of the back of the meter. Inthis form the bottom 22 may be oifset or notas desired, the presence ofthe two arms being suiicient to properly support the "meter Whether thelatterv rests'in contact with the upper face-of the bottom 22, ornot.

From the above it will be readily understood that we 4have provided ahanger for meters of particular advantage, the hanger being suspendedfrom a support of suitable character, such as indicated in Figs. 1 and3, at 15, said support being carried by the service or street pipes,indicated as 16. 4The stirrup form of hanger permits the meter,

indicated as 17 to be positioned in such a manner as to entirely takeaway from the meter connections 18, all strain due to the weight of themeter, the material of the stirrup and the connections of the stirrupand "support being such as 7to permit of the the face of the meter, asindicated in Fig. 3

the meter having an efiicient and extended support, as heretoforepointed out. Furthermore, the structures shown in Figs. 3 and 4, notVonly provide for a positioning of the hanger or stirrup relative to thewall, but vat the same time provide a member which will present amovement of the meter into contact with the wall, thereby spacing themeter and eliminating liability of the latter rusting out due todampness of the walls. As will be obvious, the fact that the hanger issupported entirely-by the tight connections, the material of the wall isof `no importance, since there is no requirement of providing asupporting engagement of anv part of the hanger with the wall.

While the stirrup may be formed of a single piece of wire, asheretoforedescribed, it will be readily understood that an equallyeicient result may be obtained by makin the stirrup adj ustablein width,as indicat in Figs. 5 and 6, in which the bottom 22 is formed in twoparts, 22h and 22, the free ends of said parts extending into or througha connector 45, carrying one or more adjusting screws 46 or similarsecuring means, for the purpose of adjusting the width of the stirrup bya suitable adjustment of the length of the bottom 22. AIn Figs. 5 to 8,we show various ways in which this adjustable idea may be carried out,and While We disclose these various ways, it will be obvious thatv otherwell known forms of adjustable connections may be employed with equalefficiency. 4In Fig. 5 the free ends of the members or parts 221 and 22are shown as in vertical alinement, while in Fig. 6 this alinement ishorizontal, the structure in the latter case also includin the offsetfeature so as to place the top o the connector on or below the plane ofthe bottom of the meter when the latter is resting on'the bottom 22.

Y departing from the spirit of the invention.

While we have shown a general embodi- `ment of our invention, and haveshown and described several ways in which it may be carried out, it willbe readily understood that various changes may be made therein to meetvarious conditions in installations of meters, and we desire it to beunderstood that we reserve the right to make `iry and all such changesand modifications therein as may be necessary and which will fall withinthe spirit and scope oi our invention as expressed in the followingclaims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is 1. Asupport'comprising a hanger niember in the form of a stirrup, saidst-irrup having its upper ends inclined inwardly and i mounted on thebottom of the stirrup and having its direction of length at an angle tothe direction of length of the bottom.

3. A support comprising ahanger member in the form of a stirrup havingits upper ends adapted to provide an approximately` central suspensionsupport, and a swinging membermounted on the bottom of the stirrup andhaving its direction of length at an angle to the dlrection of length oft-he bottom, said swinging member projecting on opposite sides of thebottom.

4. A support comprising a hanger member in the form of a stirrup havingits upper ends adapted to provide an approximately central suspensionsupport, and a swinging member mounted on the bottom of the stirrup ,andhaving its direction of length at an angle to the direction of length ofthe bottom, said swinging member projecting on opposite sides of thebottom, one projecting portion being of greater length than the other. n

5. A support comprising a hanger member in the form of a stirrup havingits upper ends 4adapted to provide an approximately central suspensionsupport, and a member mounted on t-he bottom 'of the stirrup and havingits direction of length at an angle to the direction of length of thebottom, said latter member embodying two arms projecting on oppositesides of the stirrup bottom, the arms on one side being connectedtogether.

6. A support comprising a hanger member in the form of a stirrup havingits upper ends adapted to provide an approximately central suspensionsupport, and amember mounted on the bottom of the stirrup and having itsdirection of length at an angle to the direction of length of thebottom, said latter member embodying two arms projecting on oppositesides of the strrup bottom, the arms on one side being bent inwardly andconnected together to .form an abutment.

7 A support comprising a hanger member in the form of a stirrup, saidstirrup having its upper ends inclined inwardly and upwardly and adaptedto be removably secured to and suspended from a fixed sup-y port locatedapproximately *midway of the width of the stirrup, the stirrup being ad-

